Providence
by ggctuk
Summary: Syaoran's journey is coming to its end – he has finally found a way to return his father's soul to existence, but he needs to find one with the power to do it. An old foe rises from the ashes and threatens to undo everything Tsubasa has fought for.
1. So Far

AUTHOR'S NOTES: This story has been an incredibly long time in the coming. As I wasn't happy with my previous endeavours, especially in light of the increasing amount of surprising revelations in Tsubasa, I chose to abandon all those old stories, but the idea of an 'endgame' stuck firmly in my mind. So I harvested what I considered the best ideas from my old Tsubasa stories and put them into this one. I can't guarantee this story will be as twisty-turny as Clamp's stories usually are, but I hope to include some revelations here of my own.

Consider this a short recap chapter. The story itself starts on the next one.

DISCLAIMER: Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicle and CardCaptor Sakura, their characters and stories, are property of Clamp.

* * *

**PROVIDENCE**

**So Far…**

_A long time ago, two very powerful magicians met: Clow Reed and Yūko Ichihara. Clow had not long completed the creation of the Clow Cards and their guardians Yue and Keroberos, and Yūko had discovered a method of travelling the worlds. Using their combined knowledge, Yūko and Clow created two Mokona Modoki, modelled after a creature the pair had met in a world called Cephiro. This was more than just an exercise in creating new beings: the pair had seen a future in which Fei Wang Reed, a descendant of Clow Reed himself, would attempt to break the most divine rule of the dimensions: that the dead can never be returned to life. The two Mokona would allow those with the power to ensure that Fei Wang would never complete his plan to travel the worlds, but it was foretold that unhappiness would happen as a result. With their best efforts, Yūko and Clow set out to ensure that this would not happen._

_One day, however, something bad happened, leaving Yūko at death's door. Clow wished strongly with all of his being that Yūko would open her eyes one last time. However, as his power was so great, Clow's wish severed Yūko from time and space, saving her from death but condemning the dimensions themselves. Realising this, Clow regretted his power an his own wish. As a result of the wish, Fei Wang Reed came into being to finish Clow Reed's wish. From this point onward, the providence of the worlds would slowly crumble, allowing decisions in the present to affect the past and the future. Further eroding the providence of the worlds, in the future, the son of two of Clow's descendants, 'Syaoran', travelled to an alternate dimension, where he attempted to prevent the death of Princess 'Sakura' there by severing her own time when she, like Yūko, was at death's door._

_Clow passed his power on to his descendants, and on to his reincarnations, and sealed the Clow Cards away, before leaving the world he had lived in. He entrusted his guardians and his Clow Cards to one of his descendants, and his wish to revoke his position as the world's most powerful magician to his reincarnations. Reality had changed to the point where events no longer unfolded as they were supposed to. Meanwhile, Fei Wang Reed captured 'Syaoran' and 'Sakura' and produced two images of them, sending them throughout the worlds by scattering the Princess' memories in the form of feathers. The Image Syaoran was meant to collect the feathers, no matter what would happen to him, and the Image Sakura was meant to travel the worlds, and in so doing, engrave their memories into her. Fei Wang Reed would have the method he needed to complete his wish. Fei Wang saw to it that the Images would have companions to ensure the completion of their mission: Kurogane, a gruff ninja from the country of Japan, and Fai D. Flowright, a wizard from the country of Seresu._

_However, 'Syaoran', who was held captive in his grasp, broke free and pursued the Image Syaoran. He was too late: the Image Syaoran had reverted to type, and worked on instinct alone to gather the feathers, no matter the cost. 'Syaoran' travelled with the group in place of his Image. They competed against Image Syaoran to retrieve the feathers, eventually culminating in a duel to the death between Image and originator. Image Sakura was caught between the two and broke apart, revealing that the original 'Sakura' was waiting for 'Syaoran'._

_It soon became apparent that 'Syaoran' would need to return to Clow Country to retrieve 'Sakura', and it was here that he revealed his past to his companions. Fei Wang Reed appeared and commanded Image Syaoran to destroy 'Syaoran' – however, Image Syaoran's actions in destroying Image Sakura had opened his heart and he betrayed Fei Wang Reed, sacrificing his life in order to save 'Syaoran'._

'_Syaoran', Fai and Kurogane fought against Fei Wang Reed, attempting to save 'Sakura'. However, their actions played into Fei Wang's hands, and he used both the body of Image Sakura and the soul of 'Sakura' in an attempt to tear apart the final links in the providence of the worlds. In so doing, he brought Yūko Ichihara forward. In a dream world, Yūko brought the Images back together, and she explained that both she and Clow had paid heavy prices to ensure the pair continued to exist. With her final act, and Clow's act beyond the grave, the Images were reincarnated into the past as the very parents that bore 'Syaoran'._

_With Yūko vanished, Fei Wang had lost. He attempted to trap the Images and 'Syaoran' and 'Sakura' in an attempt to revive her, but the two Sakuras used their power to break free, and Kurogane struck down Fei Wang Reed. The price of victory was great, however – Sakura and Syaoran also broke apart, removing their own existences from reality. As a consequence, 'Syaoran' chose to travel the worlds in order to find a way to bring them back – as they were not truly dead._

_Departing Clow Country one last time, 'Syaoran' and 'Sakura' confessed their love for each other – and their true names: 'Tsubasa'._

_Tsubasa, Fai and Kurogane have travelled many worlds, never staying in one place, in an attempt to find a way to bring Sakura and Syaoran back. It has been three years, and, unknown to any of them, their journey is about to draw to a close: their final destination draws near._

_There is no coincidence. What there is, is 'Hitsuzen'._


	2. Of Visions And Memories

A/N: The first real chapter of a Tsubasa fiction, and it's the first I've written since 2011.

I'll be using the assumed names of the Tsubasas as it's easier to differentiate between the two.

* * *

**Of Visions And Memories**

_Kingdom Of Clow_

The sun was setting over the Kingdom of Clow. The residents of the Kingdom's only town were going home to be with their families.

The Kingdom of Clow had a monarchy that had been ruling for a very long time. Very few people knew the real history of the country, that many years before, a bustling city had once stood here, before the acid rains came and slowly swept it away.

Leaning from the balcony of her bedroom in the palace, Princess Sakura thought about things as she stared intently at the ruins in the distance: two wing-shaped towers that rose from the desert, as though something was underground, waiting to take flight.

It had been three years since the fateful events in those very ruins. Three years since Syaoran had gone on his journey, along with Fai Flowright and Kurogane. It had pained Sakura not to go with them, but she knew if she went, they would suffer, as they had when their other selves went on the first journey through the worlds. And so, Sakura had remained behind. Their last exchange stayed on her mind, always. It was of their final act of trust in each other: their true names.

"_My real name…"_

"_My true name…"_

"… _is Tsubasa!"_

They had departed, sure that their paths would cross again, that the future her other self had seen would not come to pass. To be torn from Syaoran, eternally, was a destiny she did not want to think about. And she already knew the future would not happen the way her other self had seen it: Syaoran had already come back once, a year ago. They remained for a few days before Syaoran had to go again. Saying goodbye was quite painful for Sakura, but she knew that it wasn't to be the last time they would see each other.

"Oi, monster…" a voice said from behind her. Sakura gritted her teeth: years of being addressed as such left no doubt as to whom the person in her room was addressing.

Sakura turned quickly and almost stormed over to her older brother, Tōya.

"I'm not a monster!" Sakura growled lightly, "And can't you knock?"

Tōya grinned.

"Of course I knocked." Tōya replied, "But you were so spaced out that you didn't hear me." His grin subsided a little.

"What do you want, anyway?" Sakura asked.

Tōya didn't answer. He stepped further into Sakura's room, heading for the balcony.

"H… hey! You have a balcony in your own room!" Sakura protested.

"The view is better from this one." Tōya replied, leaning against the railing.

Sakura joined him. For a while, the siblings said nothing to each other, simply watching as the sun set behind the two wing-shaped towers in the distance.

"What's on your mind, Sakura?" Tōya asked.

Sakura's eyes widened slightly, and she looked at her older brother.

"Is it to do with him?" Tōya suggested. Sakura looked away.

Tōya glanced at Sakura. Sakura grimaced.

"Well, that brat is easily missed." Tōya said, drawing a glare from Sakura, as well as a sharp kick to the shin. Tōya winced, tears stinging his eyes. His sister was now seventeen, and she could afford a little extra weight behind her kicks… not that he'd draw that kind of attention again by pointing that fact out. She had also grown taller, although she still was not as tall as Tōya. Once he blinked the tears from his eyes, Tōya stared out at the desert.

"Father is planning on stepping down." Tōya said. Sakura gasped as she glanced at Tōya.

"He didn't tell me." Sakura said.

"Of course he didn't." Tōya replied, "As second-born, you're second-in-line, and your duty is to become the next High Priestess of Clow."

Sakura looked back out at the desert. She lowered her head, resting it on her hands.

"You're worried?" Sakura asked. Tōya turned away from the balcony.

"Of course I am." Tōya replied, "I don't know if I can do what Father has done. I won't have a Queen. I won't bear an heir."

Sakura straightened up and took Tōya's hand.

"Onii-sama…" Sakura said, "I saw you when you were King in that other world. You did fine. I'm sure you'll be a good king, as long as you believe everything will be all right."

Tōya glanced down at his hand, which was still being held by Sakura.

"I don't remember the events of that world." Tōya said, "But I can't have been a very good king if I let my sister get into that kind of trouble."

Sakura shook her head.

"You did your best." Sakura replied, "That's all anybody can ever ask of you, Onii-sama."

Sakura let go of Tōya's hand. She smiled up at him. Tōya smiled back briefly, before turning to leave.

"I'm tired. I guess I'll have an early night." Tōya said, and with that he left the room. Sakura turned to the balcony and rested her head on the palm of her hands.

"Everything will surely be all right…" Sakura repeated, "Wasn't it _you_ who said that to me? Or, to be more accurate, the _other_ me…"

Sakura placed a hand on her chest, right above her heart. At times, she could feel the presence of the other Sakura within her: evidence that she was not truly dead. Once again, she was reminded of Syaoran, and his goal:

"_You can't bring the dead back, but it may be possible to place the still-living soul inside me into a new body. When I do, I will ask him what he wishes."_

Stretching herself out, Sakura decided it was time for her to turn in as well.

* * *

_Sakura stood in the void. Opposite her, she saw two figures hovering._

"_Is this a… dream?" Sakura wondered._

_Two magic circles opened up underneath them. Sakura recognised them as belonging to the long-dead wizard Clow Reed, the man who had taken on the role of father to her other self._

_And it wasn't the only thing she recognised: the light of the magic circles revealed the two figures to her._

"_Syaoran…? Sakura…?" Sakura gasped._

_The figures were dressed in clothes that quite plainly came from another world. Perhaps Sakura was seeing herself and Syaoran from another world…? Yet, she knew that these two weren't her or her Syaoran, nor were they the other Syaoran and Sakura… but she got the feeling that they were to be major influences on the future._

"_And now…" another voice said. Sakura turned to its source. Once again, the figure was covered in shadow, but his shape and the sound of his voice was familiar._

_The magic circles below the vision's Sakura and Syaoran started spinning._

"_Sakura! Syaoran!" Sakura called out, trying to reach them. Magical energy spewed from the circles. Other magic circles started appearing. The circles beneath Sakura and Syaoran changed: the one beneath Sakura became the glyph that belonged to the Li family, and the one beneath Syaoran became the one that belonged to Sakura. They spun faster, the magical energy clouding them from Sakura's vision… two more figures appeared… but this time she couldn't make them out… no, her vision was blurring…_

Sakura bolted upright in bed, breathing harshly, the image of the vision she had still flashing before her eyes. She got out of her bed and went to the balcony.

No doubt it was a vision of the future that she had just experienced. As she got older, Sakura's visions became more powerful, even if she couldn't always make sense of them. At the start, it was always just short flashes, but now she could see quite a lot. She knew there was danger ahead. But she was ultimately alone: she had no way of contacting Syaoran, no way of warning him of the impending danger…

"Tsubasa…" Sakura said, using his real name, hoping that her wishes were carried by its use, "Please, be safe… please, come back to me…"

* * *

In over three years, this was not a sensation that Syaoran would ever get used to fully. Travelling dimensions was strange enough on its own, but Syaoran had to do it to pay his price, and to find a way of fulfilling his wish.

His two companions were, as every, by his side. Time had changed them all very much, especially Syaoran: he had grown quite a bit since the journey started. The four of them had travelled to many worlds and seen many things, met many people, on this journey to return the still-living souls of Syaoran's parents to being.

Fai Flowright was a magician from the world of Seresu. He was lean, with shoulder-length blonde hair and blue eyes, and there was almost always a smile on his face. There was quite a parallel between him and Syaoran in that both were using the name of a dear relative, and both had hidden their pasts for fear that it would alienate the others. Fai's past, however, included doing the bidding of the evil magician Fei Wang Reed. They had moved past this a long time ago, however, and Syaoran felt a certain kinship with the older magician. Kurogane, on the other hand, was a lot more straight-forward. He too had been affected by the machinations of Fei Wang Reed, but he had not ever given in to them. Kurogane was gruff and often humourless, but he carried the strength to do what needed to be done. It was this seriousness that often made him the butt of Fai's teasing, which hadn't let up in all the time Syaoran had known them. And the last member of their group was Mokona Modoki, a small manjuu-bun-like creature with a massive appetite. Mokona was also their method for travelling the worlds. Mokona had been made by Clow Reed, an ancestor of Syaoran's, and Yūko Ichihara, the Dimensional Witch. Mokona was fun-loving, and he often joined in with Fai's teasing of Kurogane.

"Oy, where are we now?" Kurogane asked.

Syaoran looked around. Right now, it was night-time. The place they were in didn't look remarkable in any way: there were trees, a lake, buildings and lights. But there was something Syaoran just could not place his finger on that felt… familiar… about the place. He stepped forward and leaped up into a tree to get a better look.

"Syaoran-kun's on the move already, Kuro-tan." Fai smiled.

"When will you give up on those ridiculous names?" Kurogane growled, although it was almost half-hearted. He had gotten used to it by this time, and knew that any chastisement he offered would be ignored by the magician.

"Mokona wants to see too!" Mokona leaped up after Syaoran, landing on his shoulder.

Syaoran stared out at the place they had landed in. They were in a park. There was a town surrounding it. A roller-coaster ran to the south of the park. Not far away, Syaoran could see a small children's play park, complete with what appeared to be a king penguin slide.

There was truly nothing remarkable about this place, but he knew instinctively what this place was. The heat of longing rose in his chest.

"Syaoran-kun?" Fai said, "Do you know this world?"

Syaoran stared around a little while longer, before leaping down from the tree. He joined Fai and Kurogane on the ground.

"I know this world." Syaoran replied.

"Oh?" Kurogane said, almost disinterested.

Syaoran stretched out with his magic. He had to know for certain. The magical circle of his family, the Li Clan, appeared beneath him. His magical power let him sense through the town they were in. There was no doubt about it: magic existed in this town, and it confirmed what Syaoran already suspected.

"This world…" Syaoran began, "… is home."

"People are staring at us." Kurogane remarked.

"It's because you're so strange, Kuro-chi." Fai said, patting Kurogane on the shoulder.

"If I'm strange, then you're absurd!" Kurogane burst back in a typical rage.

"Strange, absurd, strange absurd!" Mokona echoed, jumping around Kurogane's head.

"And you can cut it out!" Kurogane barked, attempting to grab Mokona.

* * *

Day had broken. Syaoran, Kurogane, Fai and Mokona had spent the night in the park, as they had nowhere to go. They had all been to colder worlds, and thankfully enough it seemed to be summer. The heat meant that the three of them had removed their travel capes. Mokona had stored them within himself.

They were near a pond, leaning on the railing while getting their bearings.

"Still…" Fai said finally, "Syaoran-kun's world… it'll be an adventure seeing this place alone."

Syaoran looked around, an odd expression decorating his face.

"Is something wrong?" Kurogane asked.

"I don't know." Syaoran replied. Ever since he had divined that this was the town of Tomoeda with his magic last night, Syaoran had been hit with unease. This dimension felt a lot like the Kingdom of Clow did to Syaoran after Reversed Time: as though it was a slightly different divergence playing off a different set of events. Having never encountered this before, Fai and Kurogane would be ignorant of the fact. Syaoran tried telling himself that he was just imagining things, that it was his unease at being in a familiar place.

"So, Syaoran-kun, this town was your home?" Fai asked, trying to break the uneasy silence.

"Not exactly." Syaoran replied, "Until my fifth birthday, we always lived in Hong Kong. We moved to Japan to be closer to my Grandfather. But this town… was where my mother grew up."

"Until she left to meet the other Syaoran-kun." Fai finished. Syaoran looked up at Fai and nodded.

"But there's something…" Syaoran began, before cutting himself off.

"There's something not quite right with this world…" Mokona finished the thought for Syaoran, "Mokona senses it too… Mokona was made here, but it's not right…"

Kurogane looked around.

"Looks normal to me." Kurogane said.

"I wouldn't know." Fai smiled, "Perhaps the events of this world changed after time was restored. After all, Syaoran-kun, you were born into a closed circle where your own Image was your father. Maybe in this world, you would still be born, but to parents whose existence stems from this world rather than from another place."

Syaoran looked down. If there was no place for Syaoran and Sakura in this world, then it followed through that he had no place here.

"Yūko-san would have known the answer for sure." Fai continued, "But as we can't ask her, we'll have to go on our guess."

Syaoran stood up.

"I want to see this town." Syaoran remarked, "And if we can, I want to go to the house we lived in."

"And if we need anything else…" Fai began, "Moko-chan, is the shop attached to this world?"

"Yes!" Mokona piped up, "Watanuki is taking good care of it. He'd be happy to see you all again."

"Tokyo's far enough away." Syaoran remarked, "But I want to see the places my mother grew up, and the house we lived in when we moved here."

"Do you object, Kuro-tan?" Fai turned to Kurogane.

"Hmph." Came Kurogane's reply.

* * *

No matter where they were going, the three travellers drew stares from the natives of this world. Once, Syaoran would have blended in perfectly, or at least they wouldn't have given a second thought to the young child who wore Chinese robes.

The centre of Tomoeda was bustling with people on their way to work, school, or to go shopping. But unlike those people, Syaoran had no place to go in mind. All he wanted to do was take in the sights of his home again, for it was likely that soon enough they would have to move on.

"You keep quiet." Kurogane growled at Mokona, who was hidden inside the hood of his cape, "We're drawing attention as it is."

"Kuro-pii is worried about looking weird." Fai smiled slyly.

"If I look strange, then so do you." Kurogane replied. Such put-downs had become second-nature.

"Mokona senses something familiar nearby…" Mokona said from inside Kurogane's hood.

Syaoran stopped. They were on the edge of the town centre now. This part of Tomoeda was not as densely-populated nor was it as modern: a lot of the houses were quite old.

One such house drew his attention.

"That's Clow's house!" Mokona said, jumping onto Kurogane's shoulder.

Syaoran closed his eyes, drawing on his magic to be sure. He sensed a great residual magic coming from the house that Mokona had indicated to. And as Mokona suspected, it was very familiar: Syaoran could sense residual power surrounding this house. And it felt like it was… calling… to him in some way.

Syaoran had obviously never met Clow for himself, although his Image self had met Clow. Even across the gulf that was space-time, Syaoran felt the immense power that Clow held. So, he knew that the power he was sensing originated from Clow.

But that wasn't the only thing he sensed.

Tomoeda was, as he had sensed the night before, strong with magic, especially as it had been the birthplace of several great spell-casters, including Syaoran's mother. He could pick out something…

"No, that can't be right…" Syaoran remarked, opening his eyes.

"What is it, Syaoran-kun?" Fai asked.

"There's power here…" Syaoran replied, "And it feels exactly the same as my mother's and father's power."

Fai shut his eyes and drew on his magic, attempting to sense what Syaoran had sensed.

"Yes." Fai said, "There is a Sakura and Syaoran here… and their powers are quite similar to the Sakura and Syaoran we know."

"I can't meet them." Syaoran told them, "And we'll be gone in a few days anyway. But Clow-san's house…"

"Oi, you can't go barging into people's houses, even if you're related to them." Kurogane remarked gruffly.

Syaoran stared at Kurogane for one moment before answering.

"But I feel the pull of this place…" Syaoran replied, "As though Clow's magic has lead me here."

Syaoran turned around, and deftly leapt over the fence surrounding Clow's house. He approached the front door. As Syaoran reached for the door, it creaked open without him having to touch it. Syaoran hesitated for one moment, unsure as to whether he should proceed, but it was only a moment, and he chose to go inside.

Fai and Kurogane looked at each other.

"What's that about?" Kurogane asked.

"He's conflicted." Fai answered, "If he meets this world's Sakura-chan and Syaoran-kun, then it will reaffirm his thought that he doesn't belong."

"But this is the kid's world, isn't it?" Kurogane said.

"Yes." Fai replied, "And at the same time, no."

"If you're not going to make sense…" Kurogane started forward.

"It's complicated." Fai continued, "But think of it this way: we've heard of a world split in two in the past: a world where history was altered because of the actions of a wish, but was then set straight afterwards. But the fissures created by this don't go away. This world… is one such world."

"Are you referring to the Princess' country?" Kurogane glanced at Fai. Fai smiled.

"Not bad, Kuro-sama." Fai responded, "Yes, Sakura-chan's world took a slightly different path thanks to Syaoran-kun's wish, but the original events still strained to unfold."

"So if this is not the world that the kid's looking for…" Kurogane said, "Why are we here?"

"Because, split world or not, Syaoran-kun is related by blood to Clow Reed." Fai explained, "And this was Clow-san's house. It might hold a clue to granting his wish."

* * *

The house was empty and cold. There was nobody in it, and it was devoid of the personal touch that would make it a home. It looked like it had been some time since somebody had been here. But Syaoran somehow knew his way around it, as though he were destined to come here. He dismissed the notion: their passing had been by chance.

Or had it? The words of Yūko Ichihara stuck in his mind.

"_There is no coincidence. There is only hitsuzen."_

Had coming here been hitsuzen? Syaoran was not sure, but he knew that he was drawn to this place, as though he knew what he looked for dwelled within.

A search of the house produced very little at first: there was a bedroom, a kitchen and a living room. But it was when he went into the drawing room that things got a bit interesting.

Inside the drawing room was a library filled with books on the various magical studies Clow himself had undertaken in his lifetime. There were some books on the table in the room, which Syaoran approached. He glanced over the table, finding many papers in amongst the books, some of which detailed magical techniques Syaoran would never likely master. But one scrap of paper caught his notice. He picked it up.

"There is no coincidence." Syaoran read. The message couldn't have been written for him. But the way things were set out… It was almost as though Clow knew he'd come here.

"Syaoran-kun!" Fai's voice called out.

"I'm in here." Syaoran replied, not turning away from the table as he started to rifle through the papers and books. There was a paper on developing one's own magic circle that Syaoran put to one side. He picked up one book and flicked through it as though this was the very thing he had been looking for.

"What is Syaoran looking at?" Mokona bounced onto his shoulder.

"An interesting read, Syaoran-kun?" Fai smiled as he and Kurogane entered the room after him.

"I'm not sure yet." Syaoran replied, flicking through the book. It contained many spells, some of Clow's own making. At first, the book only seemed to speak about making permanent contracts with spirits, a magic Syaoran had heard about in tales passed down in his family, but when he turned the page, he found something that caught his eye.

"What's this?" Syaoran's eyes widened.

It was a section on the creation of artificial bodies. Apparently, Clow had created two artificial life forms with the specific task of acting as 'guardians' to spirits that he had entered into contract with. Syaoran flicked through the pages. It listed everything, right down to how to create an artificial life form, to creating an image of something that already existed: the very technique Fei Wang Reed had employed in the creation of the Images in the first place! But this kind of magic…

"This is beyond me." Syaoran said, his hopes falling, "And the one person who might have been able to do it…"

Syaoran placed the book back on the table. He had been so close to his goal! And it had been taken away by his own inability to use that kind of magic. His mother might have been able to do it, but as she was sleeping within Sakura in the Kingdom of Clow, he couldn't ask her.

Fai picked the book back up.

"Don't give up, Syaoran-kun." Fai smiled, "Even if this magic is beyond you or me, that doesn't make it impossible. Moko-chan, can you store this for us?"

"Yes." Mokona said, before opening his mouth wide and swallowing the book.

Having checked the rest of the house and deciding there was nothing more for them there, Syaoran, Fai, Kurogane and Mokona left it. It was late afternoon, and they would surely need to find a place to stay overnight. As they headed down the street, once again drawing curious stares from the locals, Syaoran thought about what he had discovered in Clow's house. If he had only been able to come here a long time before… but things were never that easy, and his chosen price, to carry on journeying until he found a way to bring the Images back to being, would surely not be paid off so quickly. But these vital clues he had found gave him hope that he was nearing his final destination.

"I hear something." Fai remarked. Syaoran and Kurogane stopped and turned around, just in time to see a young girl fly at them… She slammed into Syaoran and the pair of them fell over. It was then that Syaoran noticed that the girl was not actually flying, but was wearing roller skates.

"Oww…" she remarked, "Sorry, mister! I couldn't stop in time…"

The girl looked up at Syaoran. His heart skipped a beat at the familiarity in her face. A deep feeling of unease arose within Syaoran, as though he had suddenly started to question his existence.

"Oh, are you a relative of Syaoran-kun?" The young girl asked. Syaoran said nothing, the inside of his mouth going suddenly dry.

"For a moment, I thought you were… but you're too old to be…" the young girl said as she got back to her feet, "Well, I'm sure Syaoran-kun will be happy that family will be visiting him soon! I hope we can become friends!"

With that, she skated off into the distance. Syaoran got to his feet and watched her go.

"Oh, my…" Fai said, his smile fading, "Wasn't that…?"

Syaoran stepped forward. There was nothing he could say other than the obvious.

"Yes… that was Sakura."

* * *

END A/N: It's interesting for me to dive back into the murky world of the Clampverse, but this is the result of ideas I had tried to commit to writing a long time ago. As to what will happen next, well, there's going to be surprises for sure, and there will be a villain in all of this. But will Syaoran get what he wants, now he knows there is a way? Only one way to find out, and that's to stay tuned!


	3. The Meeting

A/N: No passage of time was ever given at the end of the CCS manga as to how long it was before Syaoran returned. I've chosen to believe that he returned four years after, which would place Sakura at the age of 14, and Syaoran would be just shy of that age. This also aligns them with the physical ages of the characters from the start of Tsubasa.

* * *

**The Meeting**

_Li House_

Syaoran had returned straight home after school, while Sakura had gone to her father's house to visit. Syaoran's family had provided him with a house in Tomoeda, although that house always seemed a little too big for one person.

It was hard to believe that it had been over two years since the Final Challenge. Syaoran had returned to Hong Kong not long after that, but he wouldn't tell Sakura what it was he had done over there. Once Syaoran's business in Hong Kong had been concluded, he had booked the very first flight out of Hong Kong and back to Tomoeda.

As soon as he had returned, Sakura had asked to move in with Syaoran. That had been a little bit of a shock: yes, he had always intended to live with Sakura one day, but they were still both so young. Syaoran guessed it was something that ran in the family: after all, Sakura's mother, Nadeshiko had committed to marriage at a young age, and she wasn't much older at the time than Sakura and Syaoran were now.

Syaoran did not get on with all of his in-laws: there was the antagonism between Syaoran and Sakura's older brother, Tōya, which had always been there. Then there was Sonomi Daidōji, who seemed to despise Syaoran for reasons he just couldn't understand.

They had talked for endless hours about what the two of them had been doing in between the four years since they had separated. There was one subject that Syaoran had steered away from, and that was what he had returned to China to do in the first place. Some of it was fairly mundane and he felt it wasn't really worth mentioning. But some of it… one could say that it was a duty left behind by Clow Reed, although that duty had proved ultimately futile as it required one who could travel the worlds, and nobody in living memory had that power. There was also the small matter of an arranged marriage to his cousin, Meiling, which Syaoran had spent many hours shouting down. His mother had been quite disappointed but had relented in the end. She had even allowed him use of this house.

The front door opened. Syaoran turned around to see Sakura coming inside. She took off her roller skates and placed them next to the door before slipping into a pair of slippers.

"Welcome home, Sakura." Syaoran smiled, "I'm just about to get started on dinner."

Sakura smiled back at him, drawing a small blush from Syaoran. He had always been weak to that smile.

Sakura followed Syaoran into the kitchen and the pair of them started working on dinner.

"Something strange happened on my way home." Sakura said, "I bumped into a boy that looked just like you. But he was older."

"We all have doubles in this world." Syaoran said.

"Yeah…" Sakura replied, recalling that not too long ago, she had met another of herself in dreams. In the lead-up to that dream, Sakura knew she would have to give up the Star Wand, although she didn't know why – it was just a feeling. But that same feeling told her that even without the Star Wand, the Sakura Cards would remain by her side. She hadn't told Syaoran – she knew that he would worry about her ability to look after herself if he knew she had deliberately handed over the wand, even to somebody who was essentially herself in another life. She didn't even know what purpose giving up the Star Wand served, but she knew that it was for a purpose, and that it was necessary for the future to unfold properly.

"But this person looked a lot like you, Syaoran-kun." Sakura continued, "Maybe… he _is_ your double…"

Syaoran stopped for a moment and looked at Sakura.

"I know the way the world is." Syaoran told her, "I know that in other worlds, there are other me's, but to travel dimensions… only Clow ever had that kind of power. Well, maybe _you_ could, but I've never heard of anybody other than Clow."

Regardless of what he had said, Syaoran would look into this, however. An impostor would be something he would need to deal with, for it could mean there was some new enemy about.

* * *

After dinner, Syaoran had retreated to his study. Without an item to work from, locating the look-alike would prove a little harder, but it could be done. Closing his eyes and standing in the middle of the room, Syaoran summoned his magic circle.

As soon as he did, he felt it. There was somebody within the town that had the same powers as Syaoran did. And it was not just an imitation: these powers were real. For a brief moment, Syaoran saw a glimpse of the face of the person who bore those powers. It was very much like his own, but a little older, and somewhat grim, as though this version of him had seen a lot in his life.

But it seemed Syaoran had delved quite deeply, because the aura of those powers vanished as quickly as he had sensed them. It also meant that Syaoran could not track this person, this look-alike, this… impostor. Opening his eyes and dispersing his magic circle, Syaoran called it a night: he wouldn't be able to do any more tonight.

* * *

_The world of Dreams, the place Sakura had come to quite often recently. But this time there was no communication between herself and somebody else: this was quite clearly a premonition. She did not recognise her surroundings._

_Two figures hovered in front of her. She couldn't quite see who they were, but it was definitely the magic circle belonging to Clow that hovered below them both. She felt a sudden urgency overtake her._

"_I would have preferred purity of the bloodline, but these two will do." A voice that was completely unfamiliar called from the darkness._

"_Wait!" Another voice called. Sakura turned to see Syaoran… but it wasn't Syaoran. It was the Syaoran look-alike that she had bumped into._

_The light of the magic circles grew so that Sakura could clearly see their faces…_

Sakura opened her eyes. She stared at the clock on the bedside table: it read 2:33 AM. She turned her head to see Syaoran sleeping soundly across from her in the next bed over. She turned and stared out of the window, wondering what the vision meant, and who the figures that were masked by darkness in her dream were. The last time she had a premonition where she couldn't make out what exactly was happening in the dream was during Eriol's trials.

Closing her eyes, Sakura promised to tell Syaoran about this in the morning.

* * *

It was the weekend, so there was no school, which meant that Sakura had slept in. Usually, Syaoran would wake her up, but this morning, Syaoran was not there to do so.

Instead, that task fell to Sakura's guardian, Cerberus.

"Tch, that brat…" Cerberus muttered, "Has to go and do something important so he shirks it off to me… I was enjoying a nice dream about sweets as well… Yo, Sakura!"

Sakura barely stirred.

"Sakura!" Cerberus said a little louder. When Sakura did not respond, he flew down to the end of Sakura's bed and with an almighty tug, pulled the duvet off.

Sakura bolted upright.

"Kero-chaaan!" Sakura said, reaching for the end of the duvet.

"Geez, Sakura, I know it's the weekend, but Tomoyo's coming home today."

Sakura was suddenly wide awake.

"Oh, my!" Sakura said, scrambling to get out of bed, "I forgot!" Then she paused, "Normally Syaoran-kun wakes me up." She frowned.

"That kid's gone to do something." Cerberus told her, "No idea what, but he said something about getting to the bottom of something."

Sakura stared at the floor. She was starting to wish she hadn't brought the topic of the look-alike up now, because she knew what Syaoran was like: if it was something he had to do, he was going to do it.

* * *

The drive to the Daidōji mansion was a quiet one. Syaoran had not spoken about what he was doing that morning to Sakura, but she knew the idea of a double bothered him. He hadn't said why: she knew he had retreated to his study the previous night to attempt to track this person, but when he had emerged, he didn't look happy. It was a look that Sakura hadn't seen for a long time: in fact, the last time Sakura could recall that same look on Syaoran's face was when the pair of them were still rivals aiming to collect the Clow Cards.

"Syaoran-kun?" Sakura said. Syaoran seemed a little startled as he looked at Sakura.

"Sorry, Sakura." Syaoran said, smiling briefly, "My mind was elsewhere."

Sakura did not smile back. Syaoran noticed her worry.

"It's nothing, really." Syaoran insisted.

"Okay." Sakura said, turning to stare out of the window. Syaoran started at her for a short while, knowing that Sakura hadn't exactly bought the dismissal.

The car stopped outside the Daidōji house. Sakura and Syaoran got out of the car and headed in silently to Tomoyo's front garden. Standing by the front door was Tomoyo Daidōji, Sakura's best friend and second cousin.

"Tomoyo-chan!" Sakura called out, running up to her friend and hugging her tightly. Tomoyo seemed a little surprised at first but she returned the hug with a warm smile on her face. She pulled back from her friend to get a good look at her.

"You're looking radiant, Sakura-chan!" Tomoyo beamed, "You've grown since I last saw you! And are you letting your hair grow out? It looks longer than the last time I saw you."

"Oh, this?" Sakura said, stroking the ends of her hair, "I just haven't had time to get it cut."

"And you brought Li-kun as well!" Tomoyo said, looking over Sakura's shoulder. Syaoran nodded at Tomoyo.

"I hear you two are actually living together!" Tomoyo said.

"Uhm… well… that is…" Sakura spluttered. Tomoyo smiled sweetly.

"I'm sorry I couldn't be here to welcome you back, Li-kun." Tomoyo said, "But I didn't forget."

Tomoyo opened the front door to the house.

"Please, come in." Tomoyo gestured, allowing Sakura and Syaoran in. Propped against the wall were Tomoyo's suitcase and two boxes, which Tomoyo picked up and passed to Sakura and Syaoran. She stood back, watching as the pair opened their boxes.

"Daidōji-san…" Syaoran said as he stared at his box, where a gown with a distinctly-Chinese style was laid folded up neatly. There was a similar outfit in Sakura's box as well. It wasn't as fancy as the costumes Tomoyo had made for Sakura in the past.

"Thank you, Tomoyo-chan!" Sakura smiled sweetly.

"Well, I figured that those old outfits I used to make you from before were never going to fit you again." Tomoyo smiled back, "I could have probably altered them or made new ones, but I think these are special… Anyway, why don't you come in? We have a lot to catch up on!"

* * *

The two girls had talked about everything. Tomoyo was at a private middle school in Tokyo and as such she couldn't visit as much. Sakura often wrote to Tomoyo but letters could only be so long. She had, of course, been told of Syaoran's return, but had been most surprised when Sakura had said that she was now living with him. There were also things that Sakura had told Tomoyo that she had yet to tell Syaoran, like the fact she had handed over the Star Wand.

"Oh, I've just remembered!" Tomoyo said, "I got a phone call from Eriol-kun in England. He says he'll be flying out here and he'd like to meet us all. He said he tried to call you but nobody was home. I told him you'd moved in with Li-kun, but he said he'd rather I pass the message on."

"I wonder what Eriol-kun is coming over for…" Sakura pondered. Like with Tomoyo, Sakura had written to Eriol plenty of times over the past four years, but he had not yet returned to Tomoeda.

"You know Eriol-kun…" Tomoyo said, "He's always enigmatic."

"I wonder if Mizuki-sensei will be with him." Sakura said.

"I don't know." Tomoyo replied.

* * *

Night was falling when Sakura and Syaoran finally left Tomoyo's house. They took the outfits Tomoyo had made as well as some other housewarming gifts from Sonomi (who shot Syaoran a death's glare as he turned his back on the house). Tomoyo went with them, sitting in the back of the car with Sakura and Syaoran. On the way home, Sakura fell asleep, her head leaning against Syaoran's shoulder. Syaoran looked down at her adoringly.

"You really do love her." Tomoyo smiled.

"Of course." Syaoran replied, stroking Sakura's hair lightly as he gazed at her.

"Are you thinking of… taking it further?" Tomoyo ventured.

"Ah! Ah, um, uh…" Syaoran stuttered, a furious blush forming on his face, "Wh… what do… what do you mean… further?"

Tomoyo giggled.

"Marriage, silly." Tomoyo replied, "You can't get married for another four years, but the thought must have crossed your mind to propose to her."

Syaoran did not reply. He felt as though the air had been pulled from his lungs and that his face was on fire.

"I guess it's a little while before I get to design Sakura's wedding dress." Tomoyo said, but she left it at that: any further and Syaoran was sure to explode with embarrassment.

The car pulled up outside Syaoran's home. Tomoyo gazed at it.

"Wow, Li-kun!" Tomoyo breathed, "That's an impressive house! Your family must be quite well-off."

Syaoran's blush had receded and the ability to talk had returned. He looked at the house.

"My family has larger houses in China." Syaoran replied, "This house is a bit too big, even for two people. But my mother said that my father left this house to me in his will, for when I was old enough. She wasn't sure I could handle living on my own for the foreseeable future, but I convinced her that I wouldn't be alone."

Sakura opened her eyes and sat upright.

"We're home." Syaoran said. Sakura looked at him.

"I fell asleep." She said, an awkward smile on her face as she put a hand behind her head, "Sorry, Syaoran-kun."

* * *

Night had fallen, and Sakura was safely asleep. Syaoran, however, could not rest. He sat in his bed, watching Sakura as the face of the look-alike ran through his mind. He knew he had to do something about this. Eyeing the Jian sword that had been passed to him by his own father before his tragic passing, Syaoran contemplated going out and searching for the look-alike. He glanced again at Sakura: she would surely be unhappy if he did so. And the part that wanted her happiness was urging him to drop the matter and forget all about this look-alike business.

But Syaoran knew that something was afoot. And this was something he wanted to get to the bottom of.

Quietly getting out of bed and grabbing his Jian sword and the box containing the clothes Tomoyo had made, Syaoran left the bedroom and headed down to the study. Shutting the door quietly, he paced to the centre of the room and knelt down, his Jian sword in both hands, and he shut his eyes, concentrating on the face he had seen.

A powerful wave hit Syaoran, followed by a vision. Syaoran never had prophetic dreams, so he knew that this was something that was happening right now.

An image appeared in his head of a slide… a penguin-shaped slide… and of two others… One was a blonde man with a calm face and the other was a black-haired man with the air that said that life was constantly annoying him.

"_How long do we have to remain here?" The black-haired man asked._

"_Kuro-chi is impatient." The blonde man smiled mischievously, "But it's going to prove harder to move around without getting seen."_

"_I know." A third figure said. Syaoran saw the boy with a face like his own._

"_Maybe you should prepare for the possibility that you might meet them." The blonde man said. The Syaoran look-alike did not answer. But, suddenly, his eyes widened and he appeared to be staring right at Syaoran._

"_Is something wrong?" the black-haired man asked._

_Syaoran watched as his look-alike continued to stare as though he could see him._

_The blonde man seemed to stretch out._

"_Oh, my." He said with a smile on his face, "I think we've been found."_

Syaoran pulled out of the vision on those words. One with power similar to his own was enough, but it appeared that the look-alike's companions, or at least one of them, also had a level of magic power. But with that vision, Syaoran knew exactly where the look-alike was.

Quickly, Syaoran got changed into the clothes he had brought down with him and he dispersed the Jian. He would deal with this now.

* * *

Syaoran ran as fast as he could through the streets of Tomoeda towards the King Penguin Park. He paid no mind to anything around him as he sped down the path that led him there. It didn't take long before he had passed the gates, but as soon as he did, he stopped as though an invisible barrier was holding him back. There was a great amount of magical power in the park.

"Hyuu! Syaoran-kun was right!" a voice said. Syaoran looked around, trying to find the source of it.

"Up here." The voice replied. Syaoran looked up at a tree to see the blonde man sitting in the tree. He looked carefree, but Syaoran could sense power coming from him.

"My name is Fai D. Flowright." The man said, "I take it your name is Syaoran-kun too."

"I don't know you." Syaoran growled.

"Ah, but in a sense, you do." Fai's smile widened, "Why have you come here?"

"If you know who I am, then you know the answer already." Syaoran replied.

"Of course." Fai's smile stayed in place, "I take it, then, that it was _you_ that tried tracking Syaoran-kun. That takes a strong magician. I had wondered if it was the other Sakura-chan that was going to find us."

"Raitei Shōrai!" Syaoran summoned a scroll and lightning burst from it, shooting straight at Fai. Fai deftly leaped out of the tree and the lightning bolt struck thin air. Fai landed on the ground.

"Hyuu! Hyuu!" Fai clapped, "That's the same magic Syaoran-kun uses! I think you might be a relative!"

Syaoran adopted a combat stance, gripping the hilt of his Jian sword tightly.

"Oh, dear." Fai said, "You aren't going to try to get past me, are you?"

"I must." Syaoran replied.

"I can't let you. Our Syaoran-kun doesn't want to see this Syaoran-kun." Fai said. His smile vanished and his eyes narrowed. "But you're the type of person who will do something. Just like our Syaoran-kun."

Syaoran fired another bolt of lightning at Fai. Fai whipped his left arm out and spun it around. Strange glyphs emerged from his hand and formed a circle which the lightning bolt struck.

"Shut up." Syaoran growled.

"Well, this is a problem." Fai remarked, "If it were Kuro-rin here he wouldn't hold back. I suppose I have to take the same stance, even if I won't hurt you directly."

Fai raised his hand and shot a stream of magic at Syaoran. Syaoran jumped out of the way, but the magic followed him.

"Fūka Shōrai!" Syaoran cried, summoning a wind barrier from another scroll. Fai's magic hit the wind barrier and dispersed, but another stream came for Syaoran.

"Kashin Shōrai!" Syaoran bellowed, spewing fire at Fai. Fai disengaged his magic attack to summon a barrier to protect himself.

Syaoran used the opportunity to charge at Fai, his sword aloft. As he neared Fai, who had once again raised his hand, he swung.

"Fūka Shōrai!" another voice cried out. Syaoran's sword hit a wind barrier exactly like his own. He almost dropped his sword in surprise.

"Fai-san, thank you for protecting me." A voice said. Fai stepped aside and the look-alike stepped forward, "But the only way is to deal with this myself."

"Hmph." Syaoran stood upright, glaring at the look-alike.

"Why have you come here? Do you see me as a threat?" The look-alike asked.

"I see anybody who means to harm anything I hold dear as a threat." Syaoran snarled.

"You are very much like the Syaoran I know." The look-alike smiled, "But you aren't him."

"Are you me from another world, or aren't you?" Syaoran demanded

"The answer to that…" the look-alike replied, "Is both yes and no." He stopped in front of Syaoran, who backed away a little.

Syaoran's resolve was starting to waver. What he was hearing was… it made some amount of sense. After all, it connected to what he had been told about the nature of the worlds. And yet, something still seemed… off.

"You're not telling me everything." Syaoran said, pointing his sword at the look-alike.

"I can't tell you." The look-alike's face became serious, "Your future is yours, as mine is mine."

"Fine." Syaoran said, adopting a combat stance, "I will have to beat it from you."

The look-alike sighed. His eyes shut for a moment. He clapped his hands together. Magical energy swirled around him and his magic circle appeared beneath him as he summoned his own Jian sword. Syaoran gasped in shock: that was _his_ sword and _his_ magic circle exactly.

The look-alike adopted his own battle stance.

"Very well." The look-alike replied, "If that is what you wish."

* * *

END A/N: Here's a few notes:

-It's mentioned in xxxHolic that Sakura now lives with Syaoran.

-Speculation as to Sakura's age in her cameo in TRC is rife: some believe her to be 15, a year older than in the finale of CCS. I choose to believe that she's the same age but a couple of months have gone by since then. The only visible difference is that Sakura's hair is longer.

-The house Syaoran lives in is the exact same one that Tsubasa spent the latter part of his childhood in, as depicted in the flashbacks of TRC.

-Although the English versions of Cardcaptor Sakura use "Toya", Tsubasa uses the correct version, "Tōya". I'm going by Tsubasa's use of the name.

-Syaoran can't actually have visions. He could locate "Syaoran", but he wouldn't have been able to see that conversation under normal circumstances. What this means, I'll get into in a future chapter.

-What Syaoran had been doing in Hong Kong will also be touched in a future chapter.


	4. One Or Another

This is going to be confusing. I'm reverting to the old manga usage of the names here: Syaoran Li is Syaoran, whereas Tsubasa will be called 'Syaoran' (quotations included). I've also corrected something that nobody seemed to spot: I spelled Fai as "Fai" in the recap chapter but as "Fay" in the main body. This was influenced by my watching the anime but as this is based off the manga, I'm sticking with "Fai".

* * *

**One Or Another**

The two Syaorans stood opposite one another, glaring at each other, their swords ready for combat.

Syaoran moved first, charging at his older counterpart. His first swing, aiming for 'Syaoran's' centre, was easily parried. The next blow, a sweeping move that was designed to cut the enemy's legs, was similarly deflected. Syaoran leaped back, avoiding a retaliatory blow from 'Syaoran' that would have left him without his sword. The next strike from 'Syaoran' was aimed straight at Syaoran's centre, and Syaoran blocked it with his sword. Syaoran twirled around, swinging his sword in a diagonal slash that clashed with 'Syaoran's' sword. Syaoran swung again, levelling his sword and sweeping it upwards. 'Syaoran' blocked the blow, striking back with a horizontal sweep.

Pulling a scroll from his pocket and holding it aloft, Syaoran cried out "Raitei Shōrai!" A bolt of lightning headed for 'Syaoran'.

"Fūka Shōrai!" 'Syaoran' threw up a wind barrier, blocking the bolt of lightning. Keeping his sword raised, he cried out, "Kashin Shōrai!" A jet of fire shot from 'Syaoran's' sword at Syaoran.

"Suiryū Shōrai!" Syaoran called another scroll out, summoning a wall of water to block the attack.

"Raitei!" 'Syaoran' called, aiming a blast of lightning at Syaoran. It blasted the water wall apart and struck the ground at Syaoran's feet. Syaoran flew backwards, hitting a tree. 'Syaoran' advanced on him, raising his sword. Syaoran jumped to his feet and met the blow, parrying 'Syaoran's' blade away from him before going back on the attack. He pushed 'Syaoran' back the way he came. 'Syaoran' leaped out of Syaoran's reach and raised his sword again.

"Raitei…" Syaoran prepared to strike down his opponent.

"Raitei…" 'Syaoran' thrust his sword forward.

"SHŌRAI!" Both Syaorans launched their attacks at the same time. The attacks collided in mid-air and a massive burst of energy flung both Syaorans back: Syaoran was flung right back against a tree and 'Syaoran' narrowly avoided landing in the nearby lake. 'Syaoran' was first onto his feet but he didn't make a move.

"Are we finished?" 'Syaoran' asked. Syaoran struggled to his feet, using his sword as a crutch. His breathing was ragged. He stood upright and pointed his sword at 'Syaoran'. 'Syaoran' raised his sword, ready to parry the next blow. Syaoran charged at 'Syaoran' and swung his sword in a diagonal stroke. 'Syaoran' barely blocked it, but then he stepped beside Syaoran and swung his sword at Syaoran's. The strike disarmed Syaoran of his Jian sword, which skittered to the ground. 'Syaoran' raised his sword, the tip pointed at Syaoran's chest.

Syaoran kicked out, his foot connecting with 'Syaoran's' hand. His Jian spun away. Syaoran aimed another kick at 'Syaoran', but 'Syaoran' leaped out of the reach of Syaoran's legs. Syaoran assumed a fighting stance that his opposite mirrored.

Rather than waiting, 'Syaoran' launched himself at Syaoran, his leg outstretched in the beginning of a move that he had learned through his other self from Seishirō. His kick was barely blocked by Syaoran. Syaoran responded by launching a punch aimed at 'Syaoran's' chest, but 'Syaoran' kicked the arm away. 'Syaoran' raised an arm and blasted lightning from it, which was repelled by the wind magic Syaoran summoned from a scroll he quickly drew from his pocket. But by that time, 'Syaoran' had closed the gap and aimed a kick at Syaoran's chest, which he barely blocked with his arm.

* * *

The smile remained on Fai's face as he watched the two Syaorans facing each other.

"Why is Fai smiling?" Mokona asked.

"Well, even if Syaoran-kun hadn't wished to meet his other self and the other Sakura-chan, facing them both is a way of moving on."

"But isn't Syaoran looking for a way to bring them both back?"

"Yes." Fai nodded, "But this world is a reminder that, to him, he will never truly belong again. Facing himself is a way to move past that."

"Hmph." Kurogane said from behind. Fai turned around at the noise to greet him. Kurogane looked like he had just woken up: his cape was dishevelled and his hair was sticking out at odd angles.

"Ah, so you've decided to join us, Kuro-sama." Fai smiled.

"Bastard…" Kurogane growled, "You put a sleeping spell on me!"

"Ahaha!" Fai laughed, "That wasn't me."

"That was Mokona." Mokona bounced, "One of Mokona's Secret Techniques: Super Hypnosis Power!"

"Come back here!" Kurogane barked, grabbing for Mokona, who bounced out of Kurogane's way.

"Kuro-tan is mad!" Mokona said happily as he easily evaded Kurogane.

"Why aren't you helping?" Fai asked, "I would have thought you would have enjoyed being in action again."

Kurogane stopped chasing Mokona about and glanced at Fai before turning his attention to the fight happening.

"This is the kid's battle." Kurogane replied.

"That's what you said when he fought Syaoran-kun in Japan." Fai said.

* * *

Sakura opened her eyes. She stared at the clock, wondering what had woken her this time. It read 1:30 AM. She turned over in her bed. She noticed that Syaoran's bed was empty. Her first thought was that Syaoran had gone to answer a call of nature, but then she noticed that his Jian sword, usually hung up on the wall, and the box with the clothes Tomoyo had made him, were missing.

Carefully climbing out of bed so as not to wake Cerberus, Sakura reached inside the cabinet beside her bed for the Sakura Cards.

"Project my figure, and become another me… Mirror!" Sakura whispered. A figure resembling a girl appeared above Sakura before she changed into an exact duplicate of her.

"Mirror-san, please stay here and take my place." Sakura said, "Just in case Kero-chan wakes up."

Her doppelgänger nodded, climbing into Sakura's vacated bed. Sakura grabbed the box near her bed and took the remaining Sakura Cards with her. She quickly changed into the outfit which Tomoyo had made for her: it even came with a hooded cape which Sakura put to the side.

"Show me the way to the one who is most precious to me, Shadow!" Sakura summoned Shadow, which promptly disappeared, leaving a trail. Sakura followed it out of the front door of the house and down the streets. The trail headed through the suburban district towards the centre of the town.

"Sakura-chan?" a voice stopped Sakura in her tracks. She spun around. Standing across the street was Yukito Tsukishiro, a former crush of Sakura's. And more importantly to Sakura, Yukito was the other self of Yue, one of her two Guardians, opposite Cerberus.

"Yukito-san!" Sakura said, flustering a little, "What are you doing out here?"

"I'd ask the same as you, but can't you sense it?" Yukito asked. Within the last few years, Yukito had gotten used to the idea of 'another him'. Although Yukito and Yue were still separate entities, Yukito was remembering more and more of Yue's actions. On top of this, Yukito had started to show latent powers of his own, although they weren't very strong yet.

Yukito shut his eyes as a pair of wings sprang from his back and covered him. When the wings parted, standing in Yukito's place was Yue.

"I can sense magic much like Clow's." Yue remarked, "But it's slightly off… Like the magic of an afterimage…"

"You mean like Eriol-kun's?" Sakura asked.

"No." Yue replied, "He held the exact same presence and powers as Clow. When he split his magic, the essence stayed the same, it just became weaker. This is off, somehow."

"Is it something to do with why Syaoran-kun has come out here?" Sakura asked.

"That kid is out here?" Yue frowned, "I don't know. You were following Shadow?"

"Yes." Sakura nodded.

"It was headed for the park." Yue told her, "I can sense a gathering of strong powers."

Sakura rushed off towards the park, with Yue following. Once she got within sight of the park, Sakura could see bursts of lightning and fire. Worry struck her as she ran into the park, Yue following behind her. It didn't take long to find where the source of all the magical energy Sakura had been sensing was coming from.

In the middle of the park, she could see Syaoran battling somebody. And that somebody looked a lot like the older Syaoran lookalike she had bumped into before.

The pair of them looked like they were tired out, and Sakura could see marks on them both, but neither of them had let up. She could also see that they were fighting hand-to-hand, two Jian swords on the ground, left aside.

"Please stop!" Sakura cried out. Both Syaorans stopped fighting to look at Sakura, but Syaoran used this opportunity to strike his older counterpart in the chest.

Syaoran froze, his pose held like a statue.

_Images shot through his mind. Were these dreams? Or were they memories?_

_He stood, staring into a mirror. His face and body were bandaged._

"_Who… am I?" he heard his own voice ask._

_Another memory surfaced: this time, Syaoran had just arrived home. He took off his travelling cloak and glanced at a photo, which he picked up: the figure in the photo was Fujitaka._

"_I'm home, Father." Syaoran smiled._

_Yet another memory flashed. He stood in a strange place underneath a building. He was staring at the boy who shared his face, but this boy was his own age… the only difference was that he wore a black robe with a bat-like symbol on it._

"_Through that eye, I have been experiencing everything that has happened to you. That you consider that Sakura the one most important to you… that doesn't come from 'my heart'. That was something you decided for yourself!"_

_Syaoran kicked his mirror in the stomach._

_A different memory, again with his other self… the two were aiming for a feather, their swords stretched out, aiming for each other… and then Sakura appeared between them, impaling herself on Syaoran's Hien… she turned sadly to the other Syaoran._

"_SAKURA!" the other Syaoran screamed._

"_Your Sakura…" she said, "Is not me."_

_Turning back to Syaoran, she spoke to him._

"_Because I am the same." She said, "You must have known too, right? That's why… you… told me at that time… Your Sakura… is waiting."_

_Sakura's body started to disintegrate into sakura petals._

"_So please… from now on… for the sake of your true important person… be free…"_

_Sakura collapsed into Syaoran's arms._

"_Even if we are just creations…" she spoke directly to Syaoran this time, "We are the same… if those two keep on living… it won't end…"_

_Sakura leaned towards Syaoran's ear._

"_I… love y…"_

_Sakura didn't finish the sentence: she disappeared, her body turning completely into Sakura petals. Syaoran reached for one, staring at it. A terrible feeling… feeling, as though he had never felt before, cast itself over him, and he did not know why. He clutched the sakura petal to his chest and screamed in agony._

_Another memory, in another ruin… this time, Syaoran stepped in the way of the blade meant for his other. There was no pain as he took the blade._

"_Why… did you…?" His other asked him. Syaoran raised his hand, using the magic he stole to keep the two worlds, the stopped time and the dimension his former master resided in, open to each other._

"_Because I wanted to know… what came next… the words… I didn't get a chance… to hear… back then…"_

_Pain overtook him as he collapsed, coughing up blood. With a force of will, he ejected the magic he stole from Fai from his right eye._

"_The feathers…" he struggled, "Take them… to Sakura…"_

_He closed his eyes as darkness crept on him, opening them once more._

"_Kurogane-san, Fai-san, Mokona, Sakura… Syaoran…" he struggled. He could feel his body breaking apart, "I'm sorry… thank y…"_

_He broke apart…_

"No…" a voice said, and Syaoran came back to reality. He was on his back, with his other self standing over him, a fist outstretched, a steely glare in his eyes. 'Syaoran' had clearly punched him hard while he was in the trance. For the first time, Syaoran could feel tears rolling down his cheek, and as he made to wipe them away, he realised they were nothing to do with physical pain but the emotions that those visions had brought to him.

"Why… am I crying?" Syaoran asked.

"These memories belong to somebody precious to me." 'Syaoran' remarked, "You cannot have them. I must return them to the person they belong to."

Syaoran wiped the tears in his eyes away but they kept coming. He felt a great sadness and anger within himself, an anger that was not entirely his own.

'Syaoran' staggered slightly before collapsing to the ground.

"Syaoran-kun…" Sakura breathed as she ran to his side, kneeling down.

"What were you doing out here?" Sakura asked him.

"I was… trying to find this person." Syaoran replied, indicating to 'Syaoran'.

"But he's hurt!" Sakura protested, "What did you do to him?"

The tears had finally stopped falling from Syaoran's face.

"I think our Syaoran-kun hurt yours more." Another voice remarked. Sakura looked up. Two figures dressed in similar clothes approached. They were both tall, but one was lanky, with blonde hair and a smile that didn't appear entirely convincing, and the other looked built-up, with dark hair and the permanent air of grumpiness.

"My name is Fai." The blonde man said, "And this is Kuro-sama." He pointed to the black-haired man beside him.

"The name's Kurogane, dammit." The black-haired man barked back.

"And this is Syaoran-kun." Fai said, kneeling beside 'Syaoran'. 'Syaoran' opened his eyes and got to his knees, placing one of his hands on his head, unsure of what had happened.

Something bounced from Kurogane's hood and onto Yue's shoulders. To Sakura, it looked like a white bunny-like creature with a red jewel on its forehead.

"Wow, it's Yue-chan!" the white bunny-like creature said. Yue looked completely startled.

"Oh, and that cute young fellow is Mokona." Fai smiled.

Mokona snuggled into Yue's neck, much to Yue's chagrin.

"Do you know him?" Sakura asked Yue.

"Yes." Yue replied, plucking Mokona from his neck. Mokona giggled as his ears flapped excitedly, "Mokona is something created by Clow and one other."

"One of two, to be precise." Another voice said. Everybody turned around to the source of the comment. Leaning on a nearby tree was a boy with dark hair and glasses. He had the air of somebody who knew everything. He was dressed in a ceremonial robe.

"Eriol-kun?" Sakura gasped. Eriol smiled.

"Sakura-san." Eriol replied. He gazed around at the sight before him: two Syaorans, Sakura, Yue, Mokona, and two people he wasn't familiar with except in dreams.

"This presence…" 'Syaoran' said, "It's faint, but I know it… Clow?"

Eriol didn't answer but turned his smile to 'Syaoran'.

"It is quite cold out here." Eriol remarked, "Why don't you come over to my place? I can explain things there."

* * *

The sun had started to rise when everybody had settled in back at Clow's house. Eriol had gone out into the kitchen, and as such, the others were left in the main sitting room with one of Eriol's guardians, Spinel Sun, who resembled a small black cat with butterfly wings. Mokona was chasing Spinel around the room happily.

"W… why me?" Spinel Sun groaned as Mokona caught him.

"Back here again, are we?" Fai remarked as he sat in a chair. Kurogane crossed his arms.

"I don't trust this guy." Kurogane remarked.

"He does seem to be the sort to keep onto secrets, doesn't he?" Fai observed.

"Like you're one to talk." Kurogane growled, remembering that it had been Fai's secrets that had cost him his real arm.

"Sorry to keep you waiting." Eriol said from the doorway to the kitchen. Behind him was a young-looking woman with long hair who was carrying a tray with drinks. She smiled at Yue, who glared back at her.

"I'm Nakuru Akizuki." The young woman smiled.

"Nakuru, set the drinks out, please." Eriol said as he sat in an armchair. He looked around at his guests: Sakura, Syaoran and Yue in one corner, and 'Syaoran', Fai and Kurogane in the other. Nakuru set the drinks down on the table before taking her place alongside Eriol.

"You all want an explanation." Eriol started, "Well, Sakura-san probably doesn't need as much. This is connected with the dream you wrote to me about." He smiled at Sakura, who glanced towards 'Syaoran'.

"May I ask your names?" Eriol turned to the travellers. They looked at each other.

"My name is Li Syaoran." 'Syaoran' said. Syaoran glared at him.

"Ah, that would be the name that is the same as your father's, yes? Though it's not your real name." Eriol replied, getting an even nastier look from Syaoran.

"What does that mean?" Syaoran growled.

"It means what it sounds like it means." Eriol replied, "It is true that this Syaoran-san is not from this world… not entirely. You both know the nature of the world, so you must have guessed it. And Sakura-san, you have already met Syaoran-san's mother."

Sakura blinked, recalling the dream where she gave the Star Wand over to an older version of herself.

"I once told you that the heart was the most difficult to predict, even for Clow." Eriol continued, "And that has always held true. If Clow's plan had gone accordingly, neither Sakura nor Syaoran would have ever met, because their destinies would have been put too far apart."

"How do you know this?" Syaoran demanded, "And why didn't you tell us this sooner?"

"I didn't know." Eriol replied, "Clow had altered the memories of Yue and Cerberus, if you remember. It appears he did the same to my memories. Do you remember what I told you about why Clow no longer wanted to be the strongest?"

"Um…" Sakura paused, thinking, "Wasn't it because he always knew the future?"

"Yes, that is what I told you." Eriol answered, "And that is what I knew. But a short while back, I started having dreams. Dreams which led me back to Japan. To a certain shop. And to a certain person."

"Do you mean the Dimensional Witch?" Fai asked. Eriol nodded.

"When I met her, I had no idea who she was." Eriol continued on, "And yet, she knew me just as well as I knew myself. Maybe even a little better. She told me that the fact I was there meant I had a wish. I found myself overwhelmed by an emotion I should not have felt upon meeting a stranger: grief, an immeasurable amount of grief. I knew not where it came from, just that it had appeared as soon as I saw her. She knew why, and she told me that Clow had always meant for me to play my part, which had ended."

"And what did you say to that?" Fai asked.

"I refused to believe it." Eriol answered, "And so the Witch told me that Clow had purposefully removed his memories of her from me. She also told me I had a choice: I could go on as I was. Or I could take on the painful memories, which could help in the future. It was a choice between having a part to play or having already fulfilled it."

"What was the price?" 'Syaoran' asked. Eriol turned to him.

"The memories were of a relationship." Eriol replied, "So to pay the price, I had to sacrifice a relationship I had now."

"No…" Sakura gasped, covering her mouth with her hands.

"You can see what happened." Eriol said, with a sad smile on his face, "I did not come to Japan alone, and it was Kaho who made the decision for me. She offered up her feelings for me in exchange for Clow's memories of the Witch. The Witch accepted."

"But why would Mizuki-sensei do that?" Sakura asked.

"Because she told me that she knew it was important to me that I remember." Eriol continued, "And once I got Clow's memories that he kept from me, I learned of the existence of other worlds… and of why Clow wished as he did." Eriol looked at Sakura, "It was because of the Witch… Clow…" Eriol stopped, a lump in his throat.

"Eriol-kun?" Sakura asked, "Are you feeling okay?"

Eriol shook his head, a tear rolling down his cheek.

"I'm sorry." Eriol replied, "Allow me to carry on. The Witch had a curse upon her that would take her life." Eriol continued on, "And when the time came, Clow wished that Yūko would open her eyes one last time. But he didn't mean to wish it… his power was so great that it tried to grant that wish… time halted for her… Clow knew it would end badly. And sure enough… _he_ was born."

'Syaoran's' expression darkened. He knew exactly what Eriol was saying.

"His name was Fei Wang Reed." Eriol continued, "At first, his power was nothing, but as time carried on, Fei Wang's power grew much like Clow's had. Clow had once tried to reason with Fei Wang, and Fei Wang's response was to move to another world while he planned to fulfil the wish Clow had made, out of Clow's immediate reach. Clow saw that the future was going to unfold in some ways… which brings me back to the point I was making before about the human heart."

"Get on with it." Syaoran said impatiently.

"Very well." Eriol said, "The Li family always had a single purpose to Clow. They were meant to fight Fei Wang Reed. It is true that you were meant to bear a son, but not by Sakura-san."

There was silence for a moment. Both Sakura and Syaoran looked at each other, a deep blush creeping into each others' faces.

"Ehhhh?" Sakura and Syaoran remarked together.

"Oh, that last bit isn't strictly the truth." Eriol said, his smile falling, "At least, not any more."

"What does that mean?" Syaoran demanded.

"Are you suggesting that _this_ Sakura-chan and Syaoran-kun might once have been our Syaoran-kun's parents?" Fai asked, his face resting on his hands as he leaned forward.

"That is what I am suggesting." Eriol replied, "But time broke down, creating a loop. The Sakura and Syaoran you once knew took their place as this Syaoran-san's parents. And as I said, the Li family were meant to fight Fei Wang Reed, not chase after the Clow Cards."

"It was a coincidence." Syaoran replied.

"No." Eriol turned to him, "There is no such thing as coincidence in this world. There is only hitsuzen."

"Hitsuzen…" Sakura echoed the word.

"And this also ties in with why you returned to Hong Kong." Eriol continued.

"You know why I went back?" Syaoran asked.

"I do." Eriol replied, "You see, since the Li family were meant to fight Fei Wang, Clow had left something in the Li family vault meant for you, Syaoran. It was a sealing tube of Clow's design. But when time became distorted, Clow sensed the distortion and shortly before leaving for Clow Country, he moved the tube from this world into a pocket world. You were summoned home after it went missing, and you spent a long time searching for it. You were never going to find that tube, Li-san."

"Why didn't you say something sooner?" Syaoran growled.

"Would you have believed me if I did?" Eriol asked him.

"What about when I hit him?" Syaoran indicated to 'Syaoran', "I saw things."

"Yes, you were no doubt seeing the memories of Syaoran that this Syaoran-san is carrying." Eriol explained, "Syaoran-san is searching for a method to bring that soul into a body. Unfortunately, the books are all I can do to help you: I no longer possess the power to make artificial beings."

"So was it you who left those books out?" Fai asked.

"I was." Eriol replied, "The last time I came to Japan, I had a vision of your arrival and I left them out. They will help, but the magic they speak of… it's not within your grasp yet."

Eriol glanced around at everybody.

"The biggest thing that Clow hid from me… is the reason I have brought you here. Not for what has happened, but for what is going to happen."

Everybody leaned forward.

"Does the name 'Kyle Rondart' mean anything to you?"

* * *

The fight wasn't meant to be long, nor did I feel like dragging it out. But Kyle…? Why is Eriol bringing him up?


End file.
